Education in prison: the intertwining of constitutional principles, educational intentionality and informal dimensions

Abstract

Prison is a complex educational context. According to constitutional principles, the custodial sentence is intended to re-educate the convicted person (article 27), through actions aimed at developing a critical conscience and social rehabilitation. The educational agreement as a treaty is focused on the responsibility of the subject, encouraging him/her to go beyond the efforts demanded by the deprivation of freedom, in order to recover his/her autonomy and self-determination in the development of future projects. However, the curtailment of rights of people forced to live in a context that struggles to protect human dignity and personal fragilities activates processes of “prisonization” and compliance with prison subcultures. Education in prison, therefore, comprises different levels which are worthy of analysis, paying particular attention to informal educational dimensions.